Durvalumab, a new lung cancer treatment, is to be made available through the NHS after approval by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The drug can double the overall time someone can survive with an aggressive form of lung cancer from two and a half to five years.
It stops the cancer from getting worse for more than two years – significantly longer than treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which can only hold the disease at bay for around six months.
Durvalumab, manufactured by AstraZeneca, was previously offered to NHS patients in 2019 through the Cancer Drugs Fund to enable further data to be collected on clinical and cost effectiveness. This has enabled NICE to make a final recommendation this week on its routine use in the NHS.
Now the drug has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the NHS has sealed a deal with manufacturer AstraZeneca to begin rolling it out. The new treatment will be offered to more than 550 patients a year with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have already undergone both chemotherapy and radiotherapy concurrently.
The drug is given to patients every four weeks and only takes an hour to administer. It is delivered as an infusion into a vein and uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells with a specific protein known as PD-L1 by attaching to them.
Dame Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director for NHS England said:
“We are resolute in our ambition to fight the devastating effects of cancer and new pioneering treatments like durvalumab are a vital lifeline for people living with cancer – giving them more precious time with family and friends.
“Most of us know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer and it can affect people of all walks of life. The NHS has continued to prioritise cancer care throughout the pandemic and I urge anyone with concerns about symptoms they might be experiencing to come forward without delay and get checked, either at your GP or at one of our mobile lung cancer scanning units”.
Blake Dark, Commercial Medicines Director for NHS England said:
“The NHS is committed to getting patients the latest cutting-edge treatments and therapies to increase the life chances of people living with advanced cancers.
“This drug will be a huge boost for lung cancer patients across England and is also the latest in a long list of innovative, targeted cancer treatments secured by the NHS through a commercial agreement, making it good value for taxpayers too”.
